Mariupol's mayor Vadim Boychenko told a Ukrainian TV network yesterday that its residents have faced a "humanitarian blockade" as they are now deprived of all basic services.
Russian troops also cut 15 lines of the power grid and Mariupol has been without electricity for five days.[/B] People are suffering from cold in their homes as the units providing heating are running on electricity, and mobile phone networks are also not working, he explained.
Even before the war broke out Mariupol's main water supply line had a problem and after the conflict broke out the water supply from backup sources was stopped, he continued.
He denounced that the Russian army acted with particular methodicalness to cut all services in the city and increase the pressure on the residents.
He further accused the Russian forces of opening fire on buses that would take civilians out of the city through the so-called humanitarian corridor organized yesterday. Of the fifty buses that had full fuel tanks, only twenty remain, Mr Boychenko added, warning "we may not have any buses when the removal" of civilians is allowed again.
He called for the humanitarian corridor to be reopened to allow the elderly and women and children to leave.
The information provided by the mayor cannot be independently verified.
[BR][BR]Source: Proto Thema
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
